26 Cinco de Mayo Drinks That Are Easy to Make at Home

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 1

When you can’t decide between two drinks, combine them. The only way the iconic tequila-and-lime cocktail could get more refreshing is being topped off by a crisp pilsner or Mexican lager. Use any you'd like—just be sure to use fresh lime juice, not bottled.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 1

I'd be remiss not to include a recipe for an O.G. margarita. This version uses freshly squeezed lime juice instead of sour mix or margarita mix (which is well worth the effort) and makes sweetener optional. If you do want it sweet, use agave or simple syrup.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 1

Spicy ginger beer is rounded out by sweet guava juice and acidic lime juice. Most importantly, mezcal, which takes over for traditional vodka and infuses every drop with smoky, complex flavor to boot. You could substitute tequila if you'd prefer.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
• Serves: 8

When in doubt, sangria is always an easy win. This Cinco de Mayo drink is a delicious cross between sangria and a margarita, so it's even more of a guaranteed home run. It stars tequila and your choice of sweet or dry red wine, plus a lime-kissed sugar rim.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 1

You and bloody Mary go way back...but you've never seen her dressed to the tropical nines. Made with tomato juice, mango nectar and a splash of hot sauce, this drink is like running into an old friend who's now living her best life. Love that for her.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
• Serves: 1

Similar to a shandy, which is half beer and half lemonade, a radler is often 50 percent fruit juice or fruit soft drink. Here, it's freshly squeezed (or store-bought) grapefruit juice and cerveza. Use any wheat beer you like, such as Weihenstephan Hefeweissbier or the Belgian-style Blue Moon.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 1

If you like piña coladas and...well, you get the picture. Made with rum, hazelnut liqueur and Coco Lopez, this Cinco de Mayo drink is as potent as it is indulgent. (Seriously—coconut, light and dark rum are all called for, so pair this one with food.)

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
• Serves: 1

Nothing refreshes the palate like fresh cucumber. Coconut tequila, infused with fresh pineapple for good measure, carries this sweet-tart stunner. Finish each glass with plenty of lime wheels and pineapple wedges. (Bonus points for charring the latter on the grill.)

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 1

Not only does this cocktail boast both mezcal and tequila reposada, but it's also mixed with a spiced pineapple syrup you'll want to use in every drink possible. Make the syrup ahead of Cinco de Mayo for minimal prep before the fiesta.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 1

Palomas are usually finished with grapefruit soda, but this one is made with blood orange soda instead. Crushed thyme makes it look a touch fancy, too. Up the citrusy ante by adding a few ounces of fresh blood orange juice to the mix.

• Time Commitment: 8 hours and 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
• Serves: 8

"Although horchata de arroz has become synonymous with Mexico," recipe creator Esteban Castillo writes, "it is a drink we adopted from Spain that can be traced back to Africa." Don't let the time commitment deter you: Most of it is hands-off chilling. Take your pick of classic, matcha and coconut varieties (or better yet, all three) and spike them with your spirit of choice, if you feel so inclined.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly, dairy free
• Serves: 2

Avocados can do so much more than toast. Here, they unite with fresh lime, cilantro, agave and jalapeño for a luxurious twist on the O.G. "The mild and buttery flavor of the avocado definitely tones down some of the usual 'kick' of the margarita in a refreshing way, and gives it a nice smooth and creamy texture," recipe creator Ali Martin says.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 2

If you've never had the pleasure of tasting this zesty beer cocktail, Cinco de Mayo is your lucky day. This version is pretty standard, as the recipe calls for Clamato juice and an ice-cold Mexican lager. (Think Tecate or Corona.) Skip the hot sauce and chili powder if you don't want it spicy.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 1

A drink is only as tasty as what goes in it. Here, it's all about the fresh fruit juices, which you can easily prepare in a blender or juicer. Of course, if you can buy fresh watermelon juice, save yourself the elbow grease. (And in case you need help, here's a handy guide to cutting watermelon like a pro.)

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, vegan
• Serves: 1

Citrusy, refreshing and photogenic—need I say more? Instead of grapefruit soda, this Cinco de Mayo drink calls for a mix of plain sparkling water and fresh grapefruit juice for a less sugary spin. Garnish the glass with Tajín or you're doing it wrong.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 1

The ombre effect of this classic cocktail never fails to impress. The trick is slowly pouring the grenadine over a spoon so it settles at the bottom of the glass, while the lighter ingredients float above it. Voilà, liquid sunset.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
• Serves: 1

Moscow mules are usually made with vodka, but subbing silver tequila transforms them into Mexican mules. Don't sweat the copper cups if you don't already have some on hand—this Cinco de Mayo drink will taste just as good out of a regular glass.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 2 cups

If you want a non-alcoholic option for your Cinco de Mayo guests, go with these fruity sippers that are ridiculously refreshing by design. Take your pick of strawberries, cucumber, pineapple or cantaloupe, for starters, and garnish them with fresh mint and lime.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 15

There's nothing like a sprig of rosemary (and homemade rosemary simple syrup) to dress up a simple drink with no effort. The simple syrup is made with monk fruit sweetener, but you can sub regular sugar if you aren't watching your intake. Using freshly squeezed citrus juices instead of bottled will keep the sugar content down, too.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, <30 minutes
• Serves: 4

Pineapple and orange and lime, oh my! A touch of sparkling water keeps the texture of this Cinco de Mayo drink light, fizzy and crisp. The rim is a mix of Tajín and salt, but you could make it even tastier with a smear of chamoy.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, no cook, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 1

Crowned with sliced blood oranges and strawberries for good measure. You'll be surprised how well complex mezcal and bittersweet Campari pair together. Go the extra mile by squeezing the orange juice by hand (and bonus points for using cara cara oranges for extra sweetness).

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 1

This one is like a hybrid between a mezcal margarita and a penicillin, an old-school whiskey drink made with ginger, honey and lemon. Prepare the honey-ginger syrup ahead, so you can mix a cocktail on the fly between tacos.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes (plus infusing time)
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
• Serves: 1

Show off your inner mixologist with this elevated bev that's oh-so seasonal. This spring-inspired masterpiece combines jalapeño-infused tequila with from-scratch rhubarb-mint simple syrup, which delivers plenty of sweet-and-sour splendor to every sip.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 1

Keep the mixology to a minimum with this five-ingredient Cinco de Mayo drink. Prepare the passion fruit syrup ahead if you have time, so you won't have to wait for it to chill come happy hour. (If you feel like a shortcut though, simply substitute a mix of regular simple syrup and passion fruit juice.)

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 1

I love gin as much as the next negroni girl, but you may be surprised what a great substitute mezcal makes in the classic cocktail. Crown each glass with a dehydrated orange wheel or a twist of orange (express it over the drink to release its aromatic oils) for the 'gram.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6

If it's Cinco de Mayo brunch you're hosting, there's no better match for chilaquiles than this gem. Swap tequila or mezcal in for vodka and just like that, your Bloody Mary becomes a Bloody Maria. You can even top it with some Mexican beer for a lighter finish, or garnish the rim with chamoy and Tajín.